Fexingo History · Europe

The French Empire: Napoleon and the Dream of Europe

From the chaos of the French Revolution to the blood-soaked fields of Waterloo, this show traces the meteoric rise and catastrophic fall of Napoleon Bonaparte's ambition to forge a united Europe under French hegemony. Lucas and Luna guide listeners through the Revolutionary Wars, the Consulate, and the First French Empire, unpacking the military genius of campaigns like Austerlitz, the disastrous Russian invasion, and the diplomatic chess of the Congress of Vienna. Explore the Napoleonic Code's lasting legal legacy, the rise of nationalism in Spain and Germany, and the cultural propaganda of Jacques-Louis David's paintings. Along the way, they dissect key figures: Talleyrand's machinations, Josephine's political salon, and the Duke of Wellington's iron resolve. Why did the dream of a French Europe collapse, and how did its ashes shape modern nationalism, warfare, and the balance of power? This is not a victory lap for Napoleon—it's a forensic examination of an empire that tried to remake a continent and left a blueprint for every would-be hegemon since.

#NapoleonBonaparte#FirstFrenchEmpire#RevolutionaryWars#NapoleonicWars#CongressOfVienna#BattleOfAusterlitz#BattleOfWaterloo#NapoleonicCode#Talleyrand#Josephine#DukeOfWellington#FrenchRevolution#Nationalism#Tricolour#ImperialEagle#Europe#History#FexingoHistory

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Episodes

186 episodes

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Napoleon's Marshals: The Men Who Built an Empire

Aug 1, 2026 · 7:41

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Napoleon's Elba Exile and the Hundred Days Return

Jul 30, 2026 · 6:44

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The Napoleonic Code: How Napoleon Remade Law in Europe

Jul 30, 2026 · 8:35

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Waterloo: Napoleon's Last Gamble

Jul 29, 2026 · 6:54

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Napoleon's Battle of Leipzig: The Fall of the Eagle

Jul 29, 2026 · 7:45

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Napoleon's Marriage to Marie Louise and the Birth of the King of Rome

Jul 28, 2026 · 8:45

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Napoleon's Continental System: The Blockade That Backfired

Jul 28, 2026 · 6:27

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Napoleon's Polish Allies: The Duchy of Warsaw and 1812

Jul 27, 2026 · 7:37

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Joseph Bonaparte The Unwanted King of Spain

Jul 27, 2026 · 8:14

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Napoleon's 1812 Russian Campaign: The Grande Armée's Fatal March

Jul 26, 2026 · 4:19

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Napoleon vs the Pope: Pius VII's Imprisonment

Jul 26, 2026 · 4:39

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Napoleon's Art Plunder: The Louvre and the Spoils of Conquest

Jul 25, 2026 · 6:18

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Napoleon's Marshals: The Men Who Built an Empire

Jul 24, 2026 · 6:17

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Napoleon's Egyptian Treasure The Rosetta Stone Story

Jul 24, 2026 · 6:14

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Napoleon's Egyptian Savants and the Birth of Egyptology

Jul 23, 2026 · 7:01

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Napoleon's Road to Austerlitz: The Battle of the Three Emperors

Jul 23, 2026 · 8:03

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Napoleon's Propaganda: The Emperor Who Shaped His Own Legend

Jul 22, 2026 · 5:23

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Napoleon's Coronation: The Emperor Who Crowned Himself

Jul 22, 2026 · 11:11

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Napoleon's Dutch Kingdom Louis Bonaparte and the Rhine

Jul 21, 2026 · 5:38

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Napoleon's Imperial Guard The Emperor's Elite Warriors

Jul 21, 2026 · 6:12

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Napoleon's Italian Republics: The Laboratory of a New Europe

Jul 20, 2026 · 8:05

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Napoleon's Egyptian Dinner: The Savant Banquet at the Pyramids

Jul 20, 2026 · 7:48

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Napoleon's Egyptian Expedition and the Birth of Modern Archaeology

Jul 19, 2026 · 6:16

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Napoleon's Code Civil: Law That Shaped Modern Europe

Jul 19, 2026 · 7:46

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Napoleon's Conscription: The Blood Tax That Built an Empire

Jul 18, 2026 · 6:24

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Napoleon's Exile on Saint Helena: The Emperor's Final Years

Jul 18, 2026 · 6:45

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Napoleon's Egyptian Mummies in Paris: Science and Spectacle

Jul 17, 2026 · 8:24

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Napoleon's Blockade: The Continental System That Backfired

Jul 17, 2026 · 6:24

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Napoleon's Italian Campaign 1796: The Young General's Masterpiece

Jul 16, 2026 · 8:44

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Napoleon's Secret Police: Fouché and the Ministry of Surveillance

Jul 16, 2026 · 6:25

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Napoleon's Austrian Marriage: Marie Louise and the Dynastic Gamble

Jul 15, 2026 · 5:43

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Napoleon's Polish Gamble The Duchy of Warsaw and the Grande Armée

Jul 15, 2026 · 8:48

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Napoleon's Russian Campaign: The Grande Armée's Fatal Winter

Jul 14, 2026 · 6:44

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Napoleon's Marshals: Davout the Iron Marshal

Jul 14, 2026 · 7:28

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Napoleon's Jaffa Plague and the Mercy Dilemma

Jul 13, 2026 · 8:47

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Napoleon's Hundred Days: The Last Gamble for an Empire

Jul 13, 2026 · 13:33

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Napoleon's Egyptian Animals: Savants in the Desert

Jul 12, 2026 · 8:33

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Napoleon's Egypt: The Scientists, the Savants, and the Birth of Egyptology

Jul 12, 2026 · 7:20

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Napoleon's Rosetta Stone: The Birth of Egyptology

Jul 11, 2026 · 8:07

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Napoleon's Paris: The Urban Transformation of the Imperial Capital

Jul 11, 2026 · 9:21

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Napoleon's Plague at Jaffa: Disease and Mercy in the Holy Land

Jul 10, 2026 · 4:16

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Napoleon's Spanish Ulcer: The Guerrilla War That Broke the Empire

Jul 10, 2026 · 8:55

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The Art of War: Napoleon's Military Genius and the Battle of Austerlitz

Jul 9, 2026 · 8:51

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Napoleon's Waterloo: The Battle That Ended an Empire

Jul 9, 2026 · 10:31

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Napoleon's Concordat: The Pope, the State, and the Church of France

Jul 8, 2026 · 6:55

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Napoleon's Bank of France: The Central Bank That Built an Empire

Jul 8, 2026 · 9:19

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Napoleon’s Civil Code: The Law That Reshaped Europe

Jul 7, 2026 · 8:20

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Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign: The Battle of the Pyramids

Jul 7, 2026 · 4:53

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Napoleon's Secret Treaty of Fontainebleau and the Abdication Crisis

Jul 6, 2026 · 7:00

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Napoleon's Continental System: The Trade War That Starved an Empire

Jul 6, 2026 · 8:02

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Napoleon's Secret Police: The Black Cabinet and Fouché's Empire of Surveillance

Jul 5, 2026 · 10:00

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Napoleon's Italian Republic: The Cisalpine Experiment

Jul 5, 2026 · 7:57

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Napoleon's Saint Helena: The Emperor's Final Captivity

Jul 4, 2026 · 5:39

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Napoleon's Italian Campaign: The Birth of a Legend

Jul 4, 2026 · 8:10

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Napoleon's Road Network: The Infrastructure That United an Empire

Jul 3, 2026 · 6:55

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Napoleon's Secret Police: Fouché and the Empire of Surveillance

Jul 3, 2026 · 8:37

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Napoleon's Malaria: The Insect That Defeated the Grande Armée

Jul 2, 2026 · 7:04

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Napoleon's Spy Network: The Black Cabinet and the Art of Intelligence

Jul 1, 2026 · 6:52

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Napoleon's Coronation: The Day He Crowned Himself Emperor

Jul 1, 2026 · 10:16

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Napoleon's Jewish Sanhedrin: Church and State in the Empire

Jun 30, 2026 · 6:12

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Napoleon's Hundred Days: The Final Gamble for France

Jun 30, 2026 · 7:34

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Napoleon's Polish Legion: The Lancers Who Rode for Freedom

Jun 29, 2026 · 7:39

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Napoleon's Marshals: The Men Who Led the Grande Armée

Jun 29, 2026 · 7:41

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Napoleon's Imperial Nobility: Merit Over Birth

Jun 28, 2026 · 9:57

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Napoleon's Egyptian Institute: Science Under the Tricolour

Jun 28, 2026 · 5:27

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Napoleon's Russian Winter: The Grand Army's Fatal March

Jun 27, 2026 · 8:10

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Napoleon's Peninsular War: The Spanish Ulcer

Jun 27, 2026 · 6:34

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Napoleon's Code Civil: The Law That Shaped Modern Europe

Jun 26, 2026 · 10:23

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Napoleon's School System: The Imperial University and Mass Education

Jun 26, 2026 · 9:42

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Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign: The Myth of the East

Jun 25, 2026 · 5:08

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Napoleon's Continental System: The Economic War That Backfired

Jun 25, 2026 · 8:47

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Napoleon's Egyptian Institute: Science Under the Tricolour

Jun 24, 2026 · 9:37

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Napoleon's Art Plunder: The Louvre Under the Eagle

Jun 24, 2026 · 9:57

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Napoleon's Bank of France: The Gold That Built an Empire

Jun 23, 2026 · 7:39

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Napoleon's Concordat: The Peace That Rebuilt French Catholicism

Jun 23, 2026 · 7:14

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Napoleon's Italian Republic: The Laboratory of Empire

Jun 22, 2026 · 6:15

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Napoleon's Secret Police: How Fouché Ran an Empire of Spies

Jun 22, 2026 · 7:41

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The Lost Art of Napoleon's Battlefield Medicine: Larrey and the Flying Ambulances

Jun 21, 2026 · 5:23

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Napoleon's Gendarmes: The Blue Guard That Policed an Empire

Jun 21, 2026 · 8:19

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Napoleon's St Helena: The Emperor in Exile

Jun 20, 2026 · 6:55

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Napoleon's Imperial Guard: The Elite That Never Surrendered

Jun 20, 2026 · 8:16

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Napoleon's Mamelukes: The Slave Soldiers Who Rode for the Eagle

Jun 19, 2026 · 7:11

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Napoleon's Canal de l'Ourcq: Paris Water and Imperial Ambition

Jun 19, 2026 · 4:46

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Napoleon's Censorship Directorate: How He Controlled the Press

Jun 18, 2026 · 8:36

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Napoleon's Rialto Bridge: The Canal Plan for Paris

Jun 18, 2026 · 7:33

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Napoleon's Austrian Marriage: Alliance Through the Bedchamber

Jun 17, 2026 · 7:55

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Napoleon's Russian Campaign: The Grande Armée's Frozen Doom

Jun 17, 2026 · 7:27

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Napoleon's Spanish Ulcer: The Guerrilla War That Broke the Empire

Jun 16, 2026 · 6:10

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Napoleon's Code Civil: How One Law Code Shaped Modern Europe

Jun 16, 2026 · 9:09

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Napoleon's Secret Weapon: The Men Who Knew Where Everyone Was

Jun 15, 2026 · 8:51

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Napoleon's Masonic Brotherhood: Lodges of Power

Jun 15, 2026 · 5:19

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Napoleon's Egyptian Mummies: The Science and the Spoils

Jun 14, 2026 · 5:14

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Napoleon's Love Letters: Passion and Power in the Bonaparte Marriage

Jun 14, 2026 · 8:19

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Napoleon's Continental System: Economic War Against Britain

Jun 13, 2026 · 7:31

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Napoleon's Marengo: The Victory That Saved the Consulate

Jun 12, 2026 · 6:20

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Napoleon's Chappe Telegraph: The Optical Network That Changed War

Jun 12, 2026 · 9:26

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Napoleon's Italian Campaign 1796: The Making of a Legend

Jun 11, 2026 · 6:25

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Napoleon's Secret Police: The Ministry That Knew Everything

Jun 11, 2026 · 5:41

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Napoleon's Italian Republic: The Laboratories of Empire

Jun 10, 2026 · 6:36

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Napoleon's Hundred Days: The Phoenix Returns

Jun 10, 2026 · 7:07

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Napoleon's English Invasion That Never Was: The Army of England and the Boulogne Flotilla

Jun 9, 2026 · 8:41

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Napoleon's Police State Under Joseph Fouché

Jun 9, 2026 · 8:34

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Napoleon's Egyptian Mummy Expeditions: Science or Looting

Jun 8, 2026 · 7:07

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Napoleon's Cadoudal Plot: The Royalist Conspiracy That Nearly Killed the Emperor

Jun 8, 2026 · 9:30

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Napoleon's Egypt Institute: When Science Followed the Army

Jun 7, 2026 · 9:44

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Napoleon's Battle of Eylau: The Bloody Draw That Changed Everything

Jun 7, 2026 · 7:28

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Napoleon's Egyptian Adventure: Science, Slaughter and the Rosetta Stone

Jun 6, 2026 · 7:27

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Napoleon's Great Sanhedrin: How an Emperor Co-Opted Jewish Leaders

Jun 6, 2026 · 9:53

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Napoleon's Russian Campaign: The Berezina Crossing

Jun 5, 2026 · 6:41

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The Battle of Austerlitz: Napoleon's Masterpiece of Deception

Jun 5, 2026 · 8:36

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Napoleon's Coronation: The Day He Crowned Himself Emperor

Jun 4, 2026 · 8:04

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Napoleon's Code: The Law That Shaped Modern Europe

Jun 4, 2026 · 8:55

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The Duke of Wellington: Napoleon's Iron Nemesis

Jun 3, 2026 · 7:47

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Napoleon's Polish Gambit: The Duchy of Warsaw

Jun 3, 2026 · 8:50

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Napoleon's Spanish Ulcer: The Guerrilla War That Broke the Empire

Jun 2, 2026 · 7:46

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Napoleon's Moscow Folly: The Winter That Killed the Grande Armée

Jun 2, 2026 · 4:33

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The Battle of Borodino: Napoleon's Bloodiest Day

Jun 1, 2026 · 7:12

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Napoleon's Leipzig: The Battle of Nations That Crushed an Empire

Jun 1, 2026 · 5:44

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Napoleon's Italian Campaign: The Birth of a Legend

May 31, 2026 · 7:56

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Napoleon's Propaganda Machine: The Art of Shaping History

May 31, 2026 · 6:59

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Napoleon's German Allies: The Confederation of the Rhine

May 30, 2026 · 6:05

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Napoleon's Continental System: The Economic War Against Britain

May 30, 2026 · 6:39

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Napoleon's Secret Police: Fouché and the Art of Control

May 29, 2026 · 7:09

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Napoleon's Empire Style: The Visual Language of Power

May 29, 2026 · 8:31

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Napoleon's Canal: The Saint-Quentin Project That Connected Europe

May 28, 2026 · 6:54

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Napoleon's Canal: The Saint-Quentin Project That Connected Europe

May 28, 2026 · 8:12

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Napoleon's Canal: The Saint-Quentin Project That Connected Europe

May 27, 2026 · 7:40

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Napoleon's Egypt Campaign: The Battle of the Pyramids and the Dawn of Egyptology

May 27, 2026 · 8:09

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Napoleon's Secret Pact with the Ottoman Empire

May 26, 2026 · 6:18

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Napoleon's Imperial Guard: The Elite Behind the Eagle

May 26, 2026 · 8:07

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Napoleon's Secret Bank: The Founding of the Banque de France

May 25, 2026 · 7:22

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Napoleon's Egyptian Institute: Science Under the Shadow of War

May 25, 2026 · 8:03

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Napoleon's Algerian Pirate Problem: The Barbary Coast Crisis

May 24, 2026 · 5:14

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Napoleon's Code: How One Man Rewrote the Law of Europe

May 24, 2026 · 7:51

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Napoleon's Battle of Austerlitz: The Sun of Austerlitz

May 23, 2026 · 9:23

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Napoleon's Secret Police: Fouché and the Art of Control

May 23, 2026 · 5:55

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Napoleon's Coronation: The Political Use of Charlemagne's Legacy

May 20, 2026 · 7:21

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Napoleon's Russian Invasion: The Grand Army's Doom

May 20, 2026 · 5:07

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Napoleon's Spanish Guerrilla: The War That Wouldn't End

May 19, 2026 · 5:28

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Napoleon's Marshals: The Men Who Ruled His Armies

May 19, 2026 · 4:56

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Napoleon's Paris: The City He Built

May 18, 2026 · 5:06

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Napoleon's Imperial University: Education as a Weapon of State

May 18, 2026 · 6:39

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Napoleon's Continental System: Economic War Against Britain

May 17, 2026 · 8:07

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Napoleon's Saint Helena Exile: The Emperor's Last Act

May 17, 2026 · 5:15

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Napoleon's Italian Campaign: The Birth of a Legend

May 16, 2026 · 4:18

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Napoleon's Waterloo: The Final Battle and the End of an Era

May 15, 2026 · 6:00

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Napoleon's German Confederation: The Rhine's New Order

May 13, 2026 · 5:45

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Napoleon's Polish Gambit: The Duchy of Warsaw

May 12, 2026 · 5:46

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Napoleon's Egyptian Mamluk Bodyguard

May 12, 2026 · 9:25

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Napoleon's Milan: The Kingdom of Italy and the Dream of a Nation

May 11, 2026 · 8:35

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Napoleon's Coronation Crown and the Imperial Regalia

May 11, 2026 · 9:13

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Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign and the Birth of Egyptology

May 10, 2026 · 7:10

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Napoleon's Egypt The Battle of the Pyramids and a Clash of Worlds

May 10, 2026 · 6:12

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Napoleon's Bank of France: The Man Who Minted a Nation

May 9, 2026 · 5:34

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Napoleon's Law: The Code That Shaped Modern Europe

May 9, 2026 · 5:48

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Napoleon's Austrian Marriage: The Hapsburg Bride

May 8, 2026 · 6:57

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Napoleon's Censorship: The Press Under the Eagle

May 8, 2026 · 6:38

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Napoleon's Peninsular War: The Siege of Saragossa

May 7, 2026 · 7:01

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Napoleon's Secret Police: Fouché and the Art of Control

May 7, 2026 · 6:28

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Napoleon's Russian Winter: The Grand Army's Frozen Road

May 6, 2026 · 6:00

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Napoleon's Spanish Ulcer: The Guerrilla War That Broke the Empire

May 6, 2026 · 5:09

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Napoleon's Marshals: The Men Behind the Eagle

May 5, 2026 · 5:40

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Napoleon's Egyptian Mamluk Bodyguard

May 5, 2026 · 8:54

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Napoleon's Continental System: The Blockade That Backfired

May 4, 2026 · 6:40

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Napoleon's Egypt: The Invasion That Changed Everything

May 4, 2026 · 6:16

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Napoleon's Concordat: The Pope and the Emperor

May 3, 2026 · 5:44

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Napoleon's Italian Republic: Revolution, Art, and the Cisalpine

May 3, 2026 · 6:13

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Napoleon's Egypt: The Institute That Changed History

May 2, 2026 · 5:36

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Napoleon's Polish Gambit: The Duchy of Warsaw

May 2, 2026 · 5:29

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Napoleon's Egyptian Institute: Science and the Rosetta Stone

May 1, 2026 · 8:38

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Napoleon and the Jews: Emancipation Under the Eagle

May 1, 2026 · 5:49

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Napoleon's Hundred Days: The Final Gamble for Power

Apr 30, 2026 · 8:57

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Napoleon's Artists: Propaganda and the Making of an Emperor

Apr 30, 2026 · 5:04

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Napoleon's Egyptian Obsession: A Dream of Empire

Apr 29, 2026 · 10:07

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The Duke of Wellington: Napoleon's Nemesis

Apr 29, 2026 · 8:39

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The Battle of Waterloo: Napoleon's Final Gamble

Apr 28, 2026 · 4:17

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Napoleon's Divorce: Politics, Passion, and the Empress

Apr 28, 2026 · 4:55

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Napoleon's Italian Campaign: The Birth of a Legend

Apr 27, 2026 · 6:05

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Napoleon's Code: How One Man Rewrote Europe's Laws

Apr 27, 2026 · 7:01

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Napoleon's Secret Police: Fouché and the Empire of Spies

Apr 26, 2026 · 4:56

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Napoleon's Russian Gamble: The Road to Moscow

Apr 26, 2026 · 5:17

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The Spanish Ulcer: Napoleon's Peninsular War Disaster

Apr 25, 2026 · 7:57

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Napoleon's Marshals: The Men Who Built an Empire

Apr 25, 2026 · 6:50

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Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign: Science and Conquest

Apr 24, 2026 · 7:20

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The Continental System: Napoleon's Economic War on Britain

Apr 24, 2026 · 7:29

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The Corsican Corporal: Napoleon's Rise from Obscurity

Apr 23, 2026 · 6:28

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